Activision Family Game Summit invite! #ATVIFamGames

Bring your family closer together this holiday season with info provided by the Family Game Summit hosted by Activision. 

You are invited to the Activision Family Game Summit on November 13th 2012 in NYC! 

Live Broadcast Begins November 13, 2012 at 1:00 PM EST
Metropolitan Pavilion
The Metropolitan Suite – 2nd Floor
123 W. 18th St. (Between 6th & 7th Ave.)
New York, NY 10011

Bloggers in the NYC area can attend the live Family Game Summit hosted by Activision. 

Click here to sign up:http://activision.com/family . 

You can't make the NYC event in person? Why not attend online like I am! I am an online Hostes for the event so you will find me tweeting at @SusieQTpies #ATVIFamGames

Click here to get more information: http://activision.com/family!

Activision will be giving us tips on how to transform our gamily game night. You will learn about the hottest family videos coming out this holiday season as well as the effects of gaming on our children. 

The host is Soleil Moon Frye and will have a panel of family and game experts -Nicole Armstrong (Activision), Patricia Vance (President of the ESRB- game rating) and Suzanne Kantra (Techlicious.com)

Don't forget to log on to Twitter and follow @ATVIFamGameSummit and follow me @SusieQTpies. 

The event will start at 1:00 EST on November 13 for online participants. 

Follow the hashtag (start now, don't wait until the 13th) #ATVIFamGames

I heard that there will be prizes! So join us!

Disclosure: I was asked to be an online hostess for this event and will receive compensation. My tasty opinions are always expressed here on my blog.

Fun Fall Recipes

If you are a regular over here you will know that I love all things Fall! There are so many things to do and not enough time to enjoy all of it! We also love cooking up our traditional favorite foods, snacks, fun halloween treats and more! With the help of other bloggers and pinterest finds, we are always trying something new to add to our fun fall favorites. What fun things have you been cooking and doing with your family? 

Look around my blog for some of my family favorite recipes. Check out SusieQTpies 15 Family Favorite Pumpkin Recipes for Fall for fall and please follow my boards on Pinterest- SusieQTpies Cafe.

Fall Activities and Family Fun Food #craveability

I love the heat of the Summer (yes I'm crazy) and dread the cold of the Winter but really look forward to the in between season we call Fall. It brings about fun family activities, crock pot comfort foods and time to prepare for the up and coming October-January family holidays.

For us, it seems that we get to a point in late Summer where we start craving comfort foods. I love to make just about anything with pumpkin. My girls all love pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, dinner in a pumpkin and more! Not only in the fall do we crave pumpkin foods but other Halloween related foods. How about you? What are some of your favorite fall craving comfort foods? 

Here are a few of our favorite Fall recipes, crafts and activities:

 Fall Wreaths

15 Pumpkin Recipes for Fall-family favorites

Zombie fun with friends & family

Besides Fall and Halloween food, we also start craving turkey! Yes, we start thinking about our family Thanksgiving weekend and eating our favorite family fried turkey! We always make several so that there will be leftover sandwiches the following day. When do you start craving the Thanksgiving turkey? To help with this craving, my family got to try the Arby's Grand Turkey Club which is a new product this year at Arby's. Guess what? It did help our turkey craving! 

Not our boys but they might as well be! These growing teen boys enjoyed the sandwich.

Here are a few comments from our friends & family about the new sandwich, "superb flavor with every bite" and "exotically unique flavor!" Someone also said, "IT HAS BACON!"

Here is what hubby had to say:

"I think it tastes like every fast food turkey sandwich. But it has bacon! I had a chance to try the new Arby's Grand Turkey Club. It was pretty good. The turkey wasn't dry or slimy (like lunch meat turkey can be). The sandwich was warm, the cheese melty and the bacon was nice and thick. The sandwich comes with mayo but tastes better when hit with some horsey sauce and Arby's sauce. The toasted wheat bun was more like homemade instead of factory made.

The Grand Turkey Club is a good choice if you don't feel like having roast beef at Arby's (which is rare for me but could happen). I'd recommend this with some curly fries and a root beer."

One of my daughter's snapped this one! She said it tasted like a sandwich (she is very verbose in the way she describes food) and that she always loves the turnovers!

So do you think that this new Arby's Grand Turkey Club has true craveability? We do! Fall is about change. The leaves changes, temperature drops and our home takes on a transformation of fall decor and warm comfort food fills the air. After the hot summer, we crave these changes and take full advantage of them by cooking more, spending time outdoors hiking and enjoying bonfires with family and friends. How about you and your family? What are you craving this time of the year? What food and activities do you just enjoy in the Fall?

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Arby’s blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Buy one, Get one FREE Clearasil PerfectaWash for Acne

We have a house full of raging hormones. These hormones bring along a lot of skin changes which of course includes skin that is oily, dry, acne breakouts and blemishes.  Three teen girls and two parents all requiring different face washes, creams, lotions and potions depending on what time of the month it is. Do you have this in your home? What do you use? What products do you purchase?

A few weeks ago we were sent a box of Clearasil PerfectaWash which is a touch-free automatic dispenser of the perfect dose of Rapid Action Acne Face Wash. The package included the dispenser, 2 face wash refills (delivers 100 doses each) and three AA batteries. Teen #3 took the box and ran away with it. She wanted to set it up and use it. Little did she know the whole family was going to test it out! 

The attractive dispenser is just the right size to fit on our small sink. I think everyone loves it because it automatically dispenses just the right amount of face wash needed. No one needs to open a bottle, replace a lid or return it to their bathroom basket. Clearasil has made it easy to establish face washing routines in our home. The two refills are Superfruit Splash (momma loves this one for the fruity smell) which includes raspberry and cranberry extracts and Soothing Plant Extracts (overall family favorite keeping the skin from drying out) which includes ingredients that are known to calm and reduce stress (yes 3 teen girls so this is really needed!)  

The face wash delivers the perfect dose for visibly clearer skin without overdrying which is a huge issue with one of the teens. It is recommended that you use it twice a day and clearer skin will be noticeable in as little as 12 hours and dermatologist tested.  Around our house we have noticed clearer skin, less breakouts and actual face washing habits have been formed, especially with teen #3. We have not had a chance to check but do hope that they carry this product in a non dispenser form so that when we travel this summer we can take it along with us. 

We love this easy-to-use dispenser and plan on taking advantage of the buy one, get one free coupon on the Clearasil Facebook page to get another dispenser for the other bathroom. We do not need 3 dispensers so we will giveaway the other one to another teen. 

So what do you think about this product? I've always been a fan of Clearasil products and I LOVE this automatic dispenser that gives the perfect dose of face wash. I love how clean it stays on the counter top, no drips in between use, daily provides smooth, clean and less breakouts on skin and it is something the entire family can use! Cha-ching!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Clearasil. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

101 Offline Activities you can do with your child

 Steve and Ruth Bennett (authors of bestselling kids’ activity book, “365 TV-Free Activities You Can Do With Your Child”) have just released a new activities book, “101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child” (BPT Press).

At that time when their first book was published, television was the primary competitor for human interaction in a household. Computers were a luxury and the only electronic gadgets you could carry in your pocket were the TV remote or garage door opener. Today, of course, television is but one of many electronic devices that vie for our attention from the moment we wake up to the moment we sink into sleep. Smart phones. Game consoles. eBook Readers. Laptops. Netbooks. Internet tablets. In-car video systems. In-pocket audio systems. If you’re awake, you’re plugged in, literally or via wireless waves.

Steve and Ruth aren’t Luddites. In fact, they love digital gadgets. But, they say, there’s still something fundamentally satisfying about relying solely on the electronic activity in our brains and muscles to entertain ourselves and connect with family members and friends. Whether it’s a simple guessing game or a more elaborate round of toilet-paper tube bowling, low-tech/notech games and activities are remarkably satisfying, rejuvenating and, most importantly, a great way to engage your children.

SusieQTpies Scraps of Life Book Review:  I am a HUGE fan of Steve and Ruth Bennett. I use to own a copy of the first book, "365 TV-Free activities you can do with your child" back in the early 2000's. I loved this book and would use it ALL THE TIME on my little twins and their baby sister. I would still have this book if it wasn't for Hurricane Katrina which destroyed some of my old time favorite books. My girls are now 12-16 so I don't need the book anymore but I will get it someday when I have grandchildren. I keep my eye out for this book when I am at garage sales, book sales, etc.

As for this new book 101 Offline Activities, it is another keeper. It is labeled as fun for all ages and I totally agree! We do live in a time where everything is electronic. This book is perfect for summer. Just pull it out and do a twenty minute activity to bring you to the kids and get them away from the TV set, text messaging, XBox, etc.

This book is also perfect for teachers and homeschool families, like us! Not only are some of the activities physical, they are also mental.  We loved the "Modern Conveniences" activity which takes a bored kids and instructs them to look around and find something that has a "interesting imaginary history". Perfect item to start with is a door handle. Ask questions like "why are they necessary", "what did people do without them", "what was the person name who invited it", and so on. Once this activity is finished, most inquisitive kids will actually do some research and find out the real answers.

Two things that I LOVE about these books are the little graphics they use for each activity in the Table of Contents and the easy to find activities in the Index. They have them listed under such categories as Arts & Crafts, Fantasy Play, Games, Get 'em Moving, In the Kitchen, Math and Numbers, Older Kids Play, On the Road, Toymaking, Younger Kids Play and Your Time Only.

OVER ------Did you want to WIN a copy of this book?? 
The sponsor is giving away a copy! To enter you have to visit the Blog Bash Hop Here! This book is in Prize Package #3 with a value at over $150!! Hurry because this giveaway runs June 22nd-26th. If you don't win, you can order it online at Amazon or check your local bookstores.


You can find out more about Steve and Ruth, and “101 Offline Activities You Can Do With Your Child,” at their web site: www.offlineactivities.com/.


Thanks to the sponsor for providing a copy for me to review and one for a giveaway. My own tasty words and opinions are expressed here!

Rockin' Ribs made with classic Coke! #FamilyClassics

 So do you like Ribs?  I never use to like them so I never made them.  My husband has ALWAYS loved ribs and would order them when we would dine at a few of his favorite restaurants. I LOVED watching him get into his ribs, all saucy and messing, eating everything off of the bones! As much as I loved watching him, I always refused to eat them.  I am sure I ate them as a kid and a bad memory stuck in my head.  Have you ever had that happen to you?  Does it affect the way you cook for your family?  It sure does for me!

Anyhow, about 8 years ago, I decided to make my husband ribs for his birthday.  I always make my family whatever they want for their Birthday Dinner or we all go out to their restaurant of choice.  For some reason I had it in my mind to make ribs.  I looked through many recipe books searching for something that seemed tasty. I ended up pulling together a few recipes and decided that I would make him the best ribs ever.  This was the year that I also made him an ice cream cake.  I was on a roll that year!

I cooked the ribs in the crock pot.  The downside of this was that I was home all day and I had to SMELL the ribs all day long.  The positive side of this is that they smelled so good, I could not wait to taste them for myself.  I did taste them before serving and they were....AWESOME!  I converted myself into being a rib eater.  My husband and kids all love this recipe and so do anyone else we make them for or share the recipe with.  I'm convinced that cooking with LOVE and Coca-Cola® did the trick!  Try 'em and let me know what you think!

BEST RIBS EVER Rockin' Ribs, quick and easy (crock pot)  (CLICK for a printable copy)

3 slabs of Pork Loin Back Ribs
1 onions, sliced thinly
1 liter Coca-Cola®
1 cup brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 container of liquid smoke
BBQ Sauce

Mix brown sugar, garlic and liquid smoke.  Cut rib rack into 3s. Spread on brown sugar mixture as you put in crock pot.  Between each rib add onions.  Do this for all the ribs and onions.  If you have any extra sugar mix then just dump it in crockpot.  Pour in Coca-Cola®.  Cover and cook 6-8 hours on high.  You'll know they are done because they will be super tender.

Note:  I think that the BBQ sauce is a very important part of the ribs.  We ALWAYS use Sweet Baby Rays! I think they sell this sauce all over the place!

Here are a few of the cooking photos:

More info: www.cookingwithcoke.com

Join Coca-Cola® on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cocacola

Join Coca-Cola® on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cocacola

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Coca-Cola® blogging program. If I am one of the first 100 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the program, click here.

Share your favorite PEEPS moment!

Raise your hand if you LOVE PEEPS! Which season of PEEPS are your favorite? Share you memories and recipes with us!

I have fond memories as a kid getting the cute lil' chicks in my Easter basket!  I, of course, passed that tradition on to my daughters.  They have no clue what life was like back in the 70s & 80s because back then we only had the PEEPS chicks. I do believe that the bunnies could be purchased when I was a kid but I always remember getting bright yellow chicks!

As for these crazy modern times, PEEPS seem to pop out for all the top candy buying holidays!  Peeps are out at Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas, Easter and more? I'm not sure but I think I saw American Flag peeps once!  Which are your favorites??  Which PEEPS have you seen?  Is there a PEEP out there that you wish they made? 

My most favorite peeps moment was last year when my brother-in-law came for a visit.  He was 20 at the time and a junior in college.  You can imagine his maturity level being less that the maturity level of my tween & teen daughters.  He is real close in age with my girls and so they have always shared good times together growing up.  His visit was in the spring so the evenings were cool  which always means BONFIRE!   

All of us were sitting out around the fire talking, laughing, making & eating smores.  Next thing I knew, the Easter PEEPS where out and in the fire! Uncle Brian, Mr. Firebug, encouraged and I'm certain spear-headed the entire plan!

We were now making smores with the peeps!  I do have to admit, though, that PEEPS as a smore is TASTY!  I think they have a higher sugar content than just plain, boring marshmallows. Before I knew it, they were putting one PEEP in the fire at a time so they could see the peep grow and burn.  It really was funny but I felt so sad for the lil' chicks and bunnies. 

It seems, now we have a new PEEP tradition at our home especially when Uncle Brian comes for a visit!!!!  I hope you enjoyed the photos! I just happen to have a few on my cell phone! Of course for 2011 the cell phone pictures aren't so great but you get the gist of our fun!

One of our newest tradition is to make and share PEEPS Treats in a jar!  These are great for the kids to make and pass out to teachers, girl scout leaders, Sunday school teacher and more!  Enjoy!

More info: www.peepsandcompany.com

PEEPSandCOMPANY.com online store

PEEPSANDCOMPANY on Facebook
Follow @peepsandcompany on Twitter 

So what is your favorite Peeps memory??  Do you have a favorite Peep holiday?  I hope you'll take a minute and share with me!

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Under the Mercy Tress by Heather Newton Book Review with TLC Book Tours

About Under the Mercy Trees

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Original edition (January 18, 2011)

(Provided) Thirty years ago, Martin Owenby came to New York City with dreams of becoming a writer. Now his existence revolves around cheap Scotch and weekend flings with equally damaged men. When he learns that his older brother, Leon, has gone missing, he must return to the Owenby farm in Solace Fork, North Carolina, to assist in the search. But that means facing a past filled with regrets, the family that never understood him, the girl whose heart he broke, and the best friend who has faithfully kept the home fires burning. As the mystery surrounding Leon’s disappearance deepens, so too does the weight of decades-long unresolved differences and unspoken feelings—forcing Martin to deal with the hardest lessons about home, duty, and love.



My take on the book:  The author wrote this book like a well composed and played symphony.  The book really flowed well.  It was one of those books that let each character have their chance to tell their thoughts related to what was going on in the story line.  Most of it was about the past but it would related to the previous persons story line to keep the story moving along which was focus on finding Leon.

I'm not one who normally enjoys a book that keeps switching from character to character but this one was different.  Each had their part just like each instrument has their part in the orchestra. I don't ever recall reading a book with this many viewpoints that flowed so well. 

The story works through the disappearance of Leon which causes the characters to bring to light their past or present conditions, they work through these issues, chipping away and building up to what the climax is of the book.

The characters pull you in as you watch layer by layer unfolding to carry the book to the end. The book made me wonder what would be written about me and my family during a crisis!  It does seem that a crisis can bring about the good, the bad and the ugly!   I really enjoyed this first time novel from the author, Heather Newton. 



Click to get to know more about Heather at her  website and on Facebook. This is definitely one author that  I'm keeping on my "stalking their website until the next book is released" list!

I'm the late, and last stop on the TLC Book tour with this book!  Click any of the links below to read what others thought of this book.  I'm off to do that now because I love reading what others though of the same book! 

Heather’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS

Tuesday, January 18th: Book Addiction
Wednesday, January 19th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, January 20th: Rundpinne
Tuesday, January 25th: Book Reviews by Molly
Thursday, January 27th: Amy’s Creative Side
Monday, January 31st: Chefdruck Musings
Wednesday, February 2nd: The Book Faery Reviews
Tuesday, February 8th: In the Next Room
Wednesday, February 9th: Wordsmithonia
Thursday, February 10th: Scraps of Life